Derek's Comfort
by Blitztoomuch
Summary: Derek and Casey are home for winter break after their sophmore year in college. Lizzie is depressed after breaking up w/ Jamie. This time it's Derek, not Casey to the rescue. Will their friendship turn into something more?
1. Chapter 1

* * *

The Venturi/Mcdonald family was together for the first time since Casey and Derek left for college. They had just finished their first semester in college; Casey had a great start with a 4.0 GPA while Derek just kept the required GPA to keep his hockey scholarship. They came home for winter break and would be home for almost 2 months.

Lizzie and Edwin were almost finished the first half of their sophomore year in high school. Edwin became relatively popular because of being Derek's brother. He dated the head cheerleader, Patty Ryan. Lizzie, on the other hand, recently broke up with Jamie; actually he dumped her and she was really depressed about it. In fact, she was in her room for the past couple days, only leaving to eat and go to the bathroom.

After Casey and Derek settled back in the home and unpacked, Nora urged Casey to go see Lizzie and try to cheer her up.

"Knock knock," said Casey as she knocked on the door.

"Go away!" yelled Lizzie, who wasn't yet aware that her older siblings were home.

"Geez Liz, I've been away for several months and that's all you can say?" said Casey.

"Casey!" exclaimed Lizzie as she opened the door and gave her stepsister a hug briefly before running back to her bed.

"So what's wrong Liz?" asked Casey.

"Well… Jamie and I broke up," answered Lizzie.

"Aww…you two have been together since you started high school," said Casey sympathetically.

"I know…it just came out of nowhere," said Lizzie who started to cry.

"So Lizzie, lets do something to get your mind off Jamie" said Casey. " How about house cleaning or maybe…"

"Maybe something less lame. Come on Lizard, grab your soccer ball and lets go to the park," said Derek.

"Ok, let me change first," said Lizzie.

Derek and Lizzie went outside and to the park and saw that the soccer field was empty.

"When I was stressed or down I would shoot pucks at Edwin. I always felt better afterwards. Maybe it'll work for you!" said Derek as he walked towards the goalie net.

"Super Lizzie gets ready to shoot. She stares down ultra-cool goalie Derek Venturi. She moves in and," said Derek in an announcer's voice.

Lizzie kicked the ball towards the top right corner of the goal post.

"She scores! Super Lizzie scores!" screamed Lizzie.

"Best two out of three!" yelled Derek.

"Ok" agreed Lizzie.

Best two out three soon became best three out of five. Best three out of five became best four out of seven. Next thing they knew…

"Come on Liz, best 38 out of 75" said Derek.

"Come on Derek, I've scored against you all but two times. The first because I slipped, and the second because I hit the post!" yelled Lizzie. "Give it up Venturi, this isn't a hockey rink"

"Ok fine Lizard. Lets go get something to eat," said Derek.

"Loser pays right?" asked Lizzie jokingly.

"Of course," said Derek.

Derek and Lizzie went to Smelly Nelly's. After ordering, Lizzie started to think about Jamie again and started crying.

"Liz, you know my crying policy," said Derek.

"Sorry D, it's just…I just broke up with Jamie," said Lizzie still sobbing.

"It's ok, I just don't do tears well. Lets not think about Jamie anyway. Lets talk about something else," said Derek.

"Like your wonderful goalie skills," said Lizzie playfully. Derek then pushed her and she pushed back playfully.

"So how did you do this season? Championship perhaps?" asked Derek.

"We lost in the semi-finals to the Cougars. They eventually won the championship. I made the all-star team though," said Lizzie.

"Great job! Soccer is cool I guess. It's sort of like hockey on grass without sticks. So much cooler than that dance junk that your sister does," said Derek.

"Yeah, I guess it is," agreed Lizzie.

After the meal, Derek and Lizzie walked home.

"Thanks Derek" said Lizzie as they walked through the door.

"No problem kiddo. Anytime" answered Derek.

"So I see Derek didn't torture you," said Casey.

"What? Is Casey upset that I was able to help Lizzie better than she could?" said Derek sarcastically.

"No, it's just that I'm usually Lizzie's lifeline. It's just weird I guess," answered Casey as she went up the stairs to check up on her sister.

"So, I see you're feeling a lot better. I was worried Derek was going to do something Derekish," said Casey.

"No, he was really nice. I had a great time with him. It's kind of sad that we never really bonded in the past," said Lizzie.

"Yeah, I guess that's partly my fault. Whenever Derek and I fought, I would always force you on my side," said Casey. "So do you want to hang out tomorrow?"

"Actually, Derek and I are going to see a movie tomorrow. You can join us if you want…" offered Lizzie reluctantly.

"That's ok Liz. I'm sure Derek wouldn't want me there anyway. I'll just do something with Emily," answered Casey.

"Ok, but if change you're mind, you're always welcome," said Lizzie.

"I'm sure. I'm just glad you're feeling better," said Casey. "I guess Derek is good for something".

The next day, Lizzie and Derek went and saw the latest horror movie. Lizzie, who usually isn't scared by movies, was really freaked out by the movie. After the first couple scenes, Lizzie just grabbed Derek and placed her head against his side. Derek then put his arm around his stepsister.

"Don't let go" whispered Lizzie.

"Don't worry, I won't" whispered Derek.

At first she held him because she was scared, no terrified. After a while, she felt safe enough to go back to watching the movie, but she no longer wanted to. She started thinking about Jamie and she didn't cry. In fact she didn't even feel sad anymore. She now had Derek, who was all she needed.

When the movie was over, Lizzie was in the same position she was in for the past couple hours.

"Uh... Lizard...the movie's over, including the credits" whispered Derek.

"I know…" answered Lizzie who just squeezed her brother more.

Derek just squeezed back, suprisingly not minding it even though the lights were back on. It brought back memory's of his days comforting Marti when she was little. Only this time, it was Lizzie who needed him.

* * *

_I haven't decided whether this will be a one-shot or whether it'll continue. For those who are awaiting the next chapter of The Reunion, I promise that it's coming. Please review and let me know if you want more chapters or whether this is sufficient. _


	2. Chapter 2

Derek and Lizzie returned home that afternoon and found Casey and Emily watching a movie in the living room. They proceeded to the kitchen for some lunch.

"So I see Lizzie and Derek are spending a lot of time together," said Emily.

"Yeah, Lizzie has been really down since breaking up with Jamie, so Derek has been cheering her up," answered Casey.

"Aw, she broke up with Jamie. They made such a cute couple. I can't believe she went to Derek instead of you though," said Emily.

"Yeah, well I offered to help, but she preferred to hang out with Derek this time. He offered a more fun activity, I guess," answered Casey.

"I see", said Emily.

Meanwhile in the kitchen…

"So Lizard, if you don't mind me asking: what happened between you and Jamie", asked Derek.

"He said that he liked another girl and wanted to give her a chance. I guess he got bored with me", said Lizzie.

"Well that kid's an idiot. Any guy would be lucky to have someone like you", said Derek.

"Wow thanks Derek! You know, I've never seen you be so nice to anyone before; with the exception of Marti of course", said Lizzie.

"Yeah, well we never really talked when I lived here year-round. We would only speak if you were sent by Casey", said Derek.

"Yeah, I guess that's true. Stupid Casey" said Lizzie jokingly.

"Yeah stupid Space Case. Oh hi Casey! Hi Emily", said Derek.

"DER-EK!" yelled Casey. "I knew you were going to corrupt my little sister".

"Relax Casey. They were only kidding or at least Lizzie was", said Emily.

"So Lizzie, Emily and I are going to the mall. Want to come?" asked Casey.

"Sure", answered Lizzie. "Derek, could you put my sandwich away? I'll get something to eat in the mall".

Derek nodded and proceeded to put her sandwich in the refrigerator.

"Great! See you later Derek" said Emily.

"Later" replied Derek.

Casey, Lizzie, and Emily left for the mall about 10 minutes later. When they arrived they first hit the food court. Casey had a salad, while Lizzie and Emily both had cheeseburgers and fries.

"So Liz, when we're done here, do you want to go guy searching?" asked Emily.

"Yeah, it'll be fun. Lots of cute guys here", said Casey.

"No thanks", answered Lizzie.

"Too soon?" asked Casey.

"No, I'm over Jamie. It's just that…never mind" said Lizzie.

"Fine, that's ok Liz. It's probably just as well. You don't necessarily want to see Emily when she's guy hunting. It's not pretty", said Casey jokingly.

"Yeah, that's actually true", agreed Emily.

That evening, Casey and Lizzie came home to find the family was out, with the exception of Derek. He was watching a hockey game on his usual chair.

"Where is everyone?" asked Casey.

"Dad and Nora took Edwin and Marti out to eat. I didn't go since Patty would be there and we don't exactly see eye-to-eye" said Derek.

"Well give me the remote! You know my favorite show's about to start. Come on Lizzie, back me up", said Casey.

"Actually, I'd rather watch the hockey game. To be honest, that show is a bit too sappy for me" said Lizzie.

"Lizzie?" said Casey.

"Sorry Space Case, Lizard has spoken. Make yourself useful and bring us some popcorn and soda" said Derek.

"No way. Get it yourself and don't even think about making Lizzie do it!" retorted Casey.

"Fine I'll get it. The period's about to end anyway", said Derek as he got up.

Derek went to the kitchen to get the snacks, while Casey went upstairs. Casey was extremely restless because she didn't know what to think about Lizzie and Derek hanging out. She didn't know whether she should be happy that Derek was helping her sister or concerned that Derek was helping her sister. It was Derek after all.

Derek returned to the living room to find Lizzie in his chair. His throne!

"Hey Lizard, I know you aren't on my chair!" said Derek jokingly as he set the snacks down.

"What are you going to do about it?" teased Lizzie. "Come and get me!"

"Oh you're going to get it now!" said Derek as he proceeded to pick up Lizzie. She just responded by laughing and screaming playfully.

"You better put me down, I know martial arts!" screamed Lizzie.

Derek just responded by carefully dropping his stepsister on the couch.

"Do you give up?" asked Derek who was at the same time laughing.

"Never!" responded Lizzie.

"You know your sister has a certain weakness and I wonder if you do to…" said Derek.

"No, don't even think about it" said Lizzie.

Derek just moved in and started to tickle her.

"Surrender?" asked Derek.

"Never!" yelled Lizzie. She then rolled over and jumped on Derek which caused him to lose his balance. They both fell and landed on the couch.

"DER-EK! Stop trying to land Lizzie into the hospital!" yelled Casey from the top of the stairs.

"Relax Space Case, we're just messing around" said Lizzie. This remark made Derek turn his head. He was simultaneously surprised and proud of his stepsister.

"Space Case? That's it, Lizzie come up here with me! You're obviously spending too much time with Derek!" exclaimed Casey.

"Hey Casey, let us have our fun. Besides, Lizzie would rather watch the hockey game with me than read ahead in your textbook" said Derek.

"Would not, right Liz?" asked Casey giving her puppy-dog face.

"Actually, hockey sounds more fun. Sorry Case" said Lizzie sympathetically.

"Well fine and for the record, there is nothing wrong with reading ahead in the textbook!" yelled Casey. She stomped to her room slamming the door. Derek and Lizzie just laughed at it.

The rest of the night consisted of Derek and Lizzie screaming as they watched they cheered their team on to victory. It was a nail-biting finish, consisting of a victorious shoot-out at the end. It was approaching 9:00 and the rest of the family hadn't arrived home yet. Nora called an hour ago informed Derek that George had crashed into another parked car. Everyone was ok, though and they were waiting for the tow truck.

"So Lizard, exciting game! What do you want to do now?" asked Derek.

"I don't know. It's been a long, exciting day and I'm kind of tired. I think I'll go to bed early" answered Lizzie.

"But it's only 9:00. Even Casey stays up a little longer" said Derek.

"I know, but I can barely keep my eyes open. Good night Derek" said Lizzie.

"Goodnight Lizzie. Don't let Klutzilla get you up there" said Derek.

"Don't worry" answered Lizzie.

Derek then moved in and kissed Lizzie on the cheek. To him, it was an innocent brotherly kiss.

To Lizzie, however, it was more. A lot more!


	3. Chapter 3

Lizzie went to bed still thinking about the kiss from Derek. Sure it was only a kiss on the cheek, but it was still a kiss. Derek had been so kind and helpful to Lizzie in her time of need. Lizzie couldn't believe it, but she was actually falling for her older stepbrother.

That morning, Lizzie woke up a little later than usual. She took a quick shower and then proceeded to the kitchen. George, Nora, Casey, Edwin, and Marti were at the table eating their breakfast. Derek, as usual was the last to get up. Lizzie opened the refrigerator and took out several eggs and ham (or bacon in Canada).

"Hey Lizzie, why aren't you eating cereal like normal?" asked Nora.

"Oh I'm in the mood for some eggs and bacon", answered Lizzie.

"And you're going to eat all that?" asked George.

"No, of course not. I'm making it for Derek too", said Lizzie.

"Why?" asked Casey.

"Because, I want to make it up to him for being there for me the past couple days", said Lizzie.

"Morning people" said Derek who was still groggy.

"Morning Derek, it's your lucky day. Your stepsister made you breakfast", said George.

"I'm not eating it then. It probably tofu or salad or something else not edible by humans" said Derek.

"Let me rephrase that for you. Lizzie made you breakfast", said George.

"Oh that's a relief, I thought you were referring to Space Case", said Derek.

"Bon appétit Derek", said Lizzie as she placed the food in front of him.

"Thanks Lizard", said Derek.

"So Derek, do you have anything planned for today?" asked Lizzie.

"Not really", said Derek.

"Really, the great Derek Venturi doesn't have any plans. No hot blonde to take out or anything?" asked Casey.

"No Space Case", said Derek.

"So Derek, I was thinking about going to the ice rink. Want to join me?" asked Lizzie.

"Sounds good. Let me get changed and we'll head over in 10 minutes", said Derek.

Derek and Lizzie arrived at the rink. They brought their own skates and Derek packed his hockey gear. The rink wouldn't open for a couple of hours, but Derek was a close friend with the owner so they had private access. Lizzie put on some padding and a goalie mask and set up a net.

"Come on Derek, try to score a goal" said Lizzie as she went in front of the net.

"Lizard, I'm not going to shoot pucks at you", said Derek who was uncomfortable with idea of shooting at his stepsister.

"Come on I scored like 50 goals on you on the soccer field. I bet you can't even score one in your own game", taunted Lizzie.

"Fine, but we're stopping after the first goal", said Derek.

"Then we'll be here all day", teased Lizzie.

Derek set the puck down several meters from Lizzie and got set to shoot. He really didn't want to blast the puck, but at the same time wanted to score to end it. He then moved in and shot a slap shot towards the top-right corner of the net. He put some zip on it, but nowhere near what he could have.

Lizzie saw Derek shoot and moved her glove towards the top-right corner of the net. She caught it easily.

"Come on Venturi, I know you can shoot harder than that. Casey could shoot harder than that!" yelled Lizzie as she passed the puck back to Derek.

"Fine then I will. Nobody compares me to Casey!" yelled Derek back.

Derek then went through the same routine as he did just a few seconds ago. He shot the puck again with more force than the last time. But he still held back. Lizzie once again caught it easily.

"You must have faced some drunk goalies or something. That shot had no chance of scoring!" teased Lizzie. "Try again Venturi".

This time Derek thought he could catch his stepsister by surprise by charging in and scoring with a backhand shot. Everything went as planned as he skated towards the net and swung towards his left. He swiftly backhanded the puck. Lizzie, however, blocked the shot.

Derek had one more trick up his sleeve. This time he moved in on the net, but instead of shooting the puck, he left it a few feet from the net and pushed Lizzie out of the way, knocking her down. She didn't hit the ice hard at all but she slid a couple feet away from the net. He then got the puck and shot it in before Lizzie could get up.

"Hey no fair, that's cheating!" said Lizzie.

"Lizard, you didn't say that I had to play fair. You just said I had to get the puck in the net", said Derek.

"Yeah I guess you're right. I'm starting to sound like Casey aren't I?" asked Lizzie.

"No, you aren't that bad", said Derek. "I'll put the net back while you go and change out of that goalie uniform. Sound good?"

"Yeah, but can we skate before we leave?" asked Lizzie.

"Of course Lizard, but first we have to clean up", said Derek.

"I thought that's was your job to put the net away", said Lizzie a little confused.

"One more thing", said Derek.

After putting away the net, Derek met up with Lizzie in front of the storage closet. Derek came out of it riding the rink's zamboni. Lizzie hopped on and they proceeded to resurface the ice.

"They owner has me do it in exchange for private access to the rink. I don't mind though, it's fun. Want to drive Lizard?" asked Derek.

"Sure!" said Lizzie excitedly.

Lizzie took the wheel of the zamboni and drove it around the ice. She couldn't believe how fun it was. Lizzie couldn't help but constantly look back at her older stepbrother who was sitting next to her. She then started daydreaming about her and Derek holding hands as they were skating. She forgot she was driving the zamboni until she heard a big thud. She had crashed into the wall.

"Oh my god! Will the owner be made at us for this?" asked a startled Lizzie. She felt bad because she knew Derek would receive the blame.

"Don't worry Lizard. Part of the reason I used to clean the ice for him was because he kept crashing into the walls himself. See that huge black mark next to the McDonalds ad? The owner did that", said Derek.

"So you won't get in trouble?" asked Lizzie whose concern dropped a little.

"Not at all", said Derek reassuring her. "But for my safety, it's best if I take the wheel. You're driving reminds me of Dad's".

"Sorry about that", said Lizzie as she switched places with Derek.

After they put the zamboni away, the rink was just opening. Lizzie and Derek were about to go back onto the ice when Lizzie saw Jamie. Derek didn't recognize Jamie at first because they hadn't seen much of each other since the day Casey brought them to Smelly Nelly's. That was the time when Jamie first told Lizzie he liked her. However, when Derek did realize that it was Jamie, he immediately noticed that his hand was interlocked with a blonde girl's. A hot blonde girl.

"Hey Lizard, do you want to leave?" asked Derek.

"No", answered Lizzie. She grabbed Derek's hand and led him to the ice. She squeezed his hand as they went around the ice. Lizzie shot a dagger look at Jamie as they went by. Derek took notice immediately as he was a little confused. Why would Lizzie use her stepbrother to make Jamie jealous? But he decided to play along.

"I'm not sure whether you're plan is working Lizard", said Derek after a few laps around the rink.

"What plan?" asked Lizzie, trying to act dumb.

"Operation: make Jamie jealous perhaps", answered Derek.

"It is don't worry. Just keep skating", said Lizzie. Lizzie didn't want this moment to end. She first skated with Derek to upset Jamie, but after a while she forgot about her ex-boyfriend and was only concerned with Derek. She couldn't believe that they were actually holding hands right now. She knew Derek was just playing along with the make Jamie jealous plan, but she didn't care.

Then Emily and Casey came in.

"Hey look it's Emily and Klutzilla. Clear the rink, Klutzilla is about to strike! She'll lose her balance and knock down any body in her path!" said Derek his announcer's voice.

Casey looked up as she finished putting on her skates and spotted her sister and Derek. She was unsure why they were holding hands, but she figured that it wasn't good.

"DER-EEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKK!" Casey yelled as she stepped onto the ice. Or more accurately she slipped as she got onto the ice, immediately doing a face-plant. Casey was a graceful dancer, but she had never been on ice skates before. She was stumbling and falling as she tried to make her way to Derek and Lizzie. She eventually reached them or more accurately they reached her. She was on the ground when they approached her.

"Klutzilla on ice. I'd never thought I'd see the day!" said Derek.

"Just help me up Derek!" yelled Casey. Surprisingly, he did what she told him.

"What are you doing with my sister Derek!" asked Casey who wasn't sure whether she wanted to hear his answer.

"Making Jamie jealous", said Derek bluntly.

"What? Why would Jamie be jealous of you? Jamie knows that you're Lizzie's stepbrother. Lizzie what is really going on?" asked Casey.

"Actually Derek is right", said Lizzie sheepishly. "He's here with some blonde bombshell so we've been holding hands to make him jealous". Well it was partly true. Lizzie couldn't tell Casey the other part.

"Come on Lizard, I think Jamie has had enough. Lets go eat before Klutzilla strikes again. Later Em", said Derek as Emily was approaching them.

"Lizzie we're going to talk about this later", said Casey.

"Weird, she's not the stepsister I expected Derek to hook up with", said Emily forgetting Casey was right next to her. Casey just turned around and gave her a confused and worried look. She hoped that Emily was only joking, but in her heart of hearts, she knew that Emily wasn't.


	4. Chapter 4

"What did you mean by that Em?" asked Casey who was clearly confused.

"It's probably nothing Casey. It just looks like Derek and Lizzie have… you know… hooked up", answered Emily.

"It's hard to say. According to my Derek research that if he were interested in Lizzie, it would be more apparent by now. But a stepsister is uncharted territory, even for Derek. I have to conduct more research to confirm this however", said Emily.

"Well I'm going to handle this in a calm and dignified manner", said Casey.

"Which is?" asked Emily with interest.

"I'm going to scream my lungs out at Derek until he agrees to stay away from Lizzie!" exclaimed Casey.

"Casey calm down. This actually isn't too different from the way Derek acts around Marti. It's probably a big brother thing more than anything. So as I said, just calm down", said Emily.

"I AM CALM!" yelled Casey.

* * *

Casey came home and noticed that Derek and Lizzie were already home. She saw Sam's jacket hanging on the coat rack so she assumed that he was hanging out with Derek in his room. She decided to talk to Lizzie before yelling at Derek.

"Hey Liz, what's up?" asked Casey.

"Nothing much Casey. You ok after that fall on the ice today?" asked Lizzie.

"Yeah, no bruise so that's good. So I couldn't help notice that you and Derek are becoming really close", said Casey.

Lizzie started turning red when she heard this. She tried to keep her composure, but she had a hard time looking her sister in the eye.

"Yeah, he's been a great… big brother", said Lizzie unconvincingly.

"Is that all Liz? Is looks to me that you think of Derek more than like a brother" said Casey.

"No I don't. He's just been… help…helping me with the whole Jamie thing", answered Lizzie.

"I think you were over the whole Jamie thing the first day Derek and I came back from college", said Casey.

"Is it that obvious that I like Derek?" asked Lizzie meekly.

"Well I didn't notice, but when it comes to crushes that's nothing new, but Emily picked up on it", said Casey.

"What should I do? Derek will never go for me. I'm his little stepsister!" exclaimed Lizzie.

"Lizzie, I don't think that Derek is a good match for you. I mean he's Derek!" exclaimed Casey.

"You're probably right, but that doesn't change how I feel. I just wish that I could have a chance with him just so I don't go through life with that 'what if' feeling", said Lizzie.

"You should talk to Derek. I know that he's usually a bad person to talk to about feelings, but he seems to be unusually open with you", said Casey.

"Yeah I'm going to talk to him about this. Thanks Casey!" exclaimed Lizzie.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Yeah Sam, sorry I couldn't make it to the movies, I was busy hanging out with my stepsister", said Derek.

"Really, you and Casey were hanging out? That's a new one", said Sam.

"Oh no, not Space Case. I was hanging out with Lizzie. We went skating today", said Derek.

"Really? That's something I always imagined you doing with… you know… Casey", said Sam.

"Casey! That's rich man! Why would I ever go skating with Klutzilla?" asked Derek.

"I don't know man. I just thought that you two were into each other. You know, all that fighting seemed more like flirting", said Sam.

"What we fight because we have clashing personalities and the fact that she's an annoying keener", said Derek.

"Whatever you say man. I'm not the only one who picked up on this though, Emily picked up on it, Marti mentioned it a few times, and even Ralph noticed it. If Ralph noticed it, it must be pretty obvious", said Sam.

"Ralph noticed? Wow, it's worse than I thought", muttered Derek low enough that Sam didn't hear.

"So what's up with you and Lizzie?" asked Sam.

"She broke up with Jamie recently, so I've been cheering her up. You know offering her some fun. It's been nice, it kind of reminds me of the fun I had with Marti", said Derek.

"That's awesome dude. I always found it sad that you two were never that close considering you two have a lot in common. I guess it's because of all that romantic tension between you and Casey", said Sam.

"What did you just say?" asked Derek.

"You heard me dude. So when are you going to ask her out?" asked Sam.

"Who?" asked Derek.

"Casey dude!" yelled Sam.

"I am not going to date Casey. First, she's my stepsister. Two, she's a grade-grubbing, OCD Space Case. Third, she's my stepsister. Four, see reasons one and three", said Derek.

"You know that there is no blood shared between you too. Besides no one will look down on you. Everyone in Canada is waiting for you two to date", said Sam.

"Fine ok, but she'll never say yes to me! I know, I'll get Lizzie to help me out", said Derek.

"Yeah dude, that's a great idea", said Sam.

"I'm going to go talk to her now. Thanks man", said Derek.

* * *

Sorry for the long time to update, but I had 3 different ideas to continue and I kept going back and forth between them. I finally chose this one. Please review.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey Derek, can I talk to you?" asked Lizzie nervously, barely making eye contact.

"Yeah sure Lizard. Just the step-sis I wanted to see", Derek responded.

"So how you doing?" she asked.

"Fine, is that all you came here to ask?" asked Derek.

"Yeah… err… I mean… no. You see I have this friend and she…" started Lizzie.

"When you say friend do you mean…" said Derek.

"Fine it's me. Anyway I like this guy, but I don't know how he feels. Also I don't know if he… if he could like me", said Lizzie.

"What do you mean?" asked Derek.

"Well it isn't exactly right for me to like him. We're kind of close… some may even say he's like family", said Lizzie.

At that last statement, Derek's eyes got really big. His eyes hadn't gotten that big since he caught Edwin kissing Sir-Monks-a -lot. He knew exactly what Lizzie was getting at, or so he thought.

"You like Edwin!" he exclaims.

"No it's not like that! It's…" exclaimed Lizzie in panic realizing that the conversation was going completely wrong.

"Marti was right. That girl's smarter than everyone gives her credit for", said Derek.

_Not really_, thought Lizzie.

"But…" started Lizzie.

"Ironically, what I have to say to you isn't too far off from what you had to say. You see… I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I like Casey", said Derek.

"You like Casey? Oh", said Lizzie gloomily.

"So do you think I have a shot?" asked Derek nervously.

"Derek, are you scared? I never thought I'd see the day. I think it could happen", said Lizzie giving him a forced smile.

"Great, but I'll probably need your help. Now about you and Ed; I'll help you out with that. I think that you'd be a much better match for him. I can't stand that airheaded cheerleader he dates right now", said Derek.

"Sure", Lizzie forced herself to say.

"Good. You know I really don't like talking about feelings, but I feel that this was a very productive talk. Catch ya later Lizard", said Derek as he walked out of the room.

"Great that went well", said Lizzie sarcastically as she threw her arms up in the air in frustration.

* * *

"Edwin my room now!" yelled Derek.

"What is it bro? Do you need something? Sandwich perhaps?" asked Edwin after frantically running up the stairs.

"Sit down, we need to talk. Bro to Bro", said Derek.

Edwin complied and sat down in Derek's computer chair while Derek sat down on his bed.

"So how are things between you and Patty?" asked Derek.

"Ok I guess. Why?" asked Edwin.

"Because I think that there are other girls more suitable for you or more specifically a girl more suitable", said Derek.

"What are you trying to say?" asked Edwin cautiously.

"Lizzie likes you dude", said Derek rather bluntly.

"Lizzie li… WHAT?" exclaimed Edwin.

"Lizzie. Likes. You." Said Derek slowly.

"Uh… Uh…" stuttered Edwin.

"I know you like her too dude. Bye", said Derek giving Ed his infamous smirk as he walked out of his room.

"Uh…Uh…" stuttered Edwin again.

"Hey Ed, I just remembered something", said Derek.

"Yeah. What's that bro?" asked Edwin.

"This is my room! GET OUT!" yelled Derek.

"Fine", said Edwin as he stomped out of Derek's room.

Edwin then took out his cell phone and proceeded to call Patty.

* * *

That night Lizzie was on the couch watching a movie. Casey was upstairs reading, Marti was at Demi's house, Edwin was out with Patty, and George and Nora were downstairs. Derek decided to meet with Liz to discuss how he was going to woo his other stepsister.

"Hey Lizard, I really need your help with Casey. There is no way she'll go for me if I try this solo. You know better than anyone what will work with Casey", said Derek.

"But Derek..." started Lizzie.

"Don't worry Lizard, I help you with Ed once we resolve with the Casey issue", offered Derek.

"But..." started Lizzie.

"Please Liz", said Derek.

"Fine", said Lizzie in defeat.

"Thanks Lizard, you're the best", said Derek.

"So to win over Casey, doing something really romantic should work. Casey really likes chivalry and she's seeking that guy who can be that knight in shining armor, who protects her from danger. Don't be too fancy though. One key with Casey is the K.I.S.S. rule", said Lizzie.

"I may not know Casey as well as you, but I think she'll run off scared if I plant one on her immediately", said Derek.

"No I don't want you to kiss her. K.I.S.S. is an acronym for 'keep it simple stupid'", said Lizzie.

"Acro-what?" asked Derek confused as he scratched his head.

"Forget the acronym, just remember simple and romantic", said Lizzie.

"Simple and romantic got it.", said Derek. "Any suggestions?"

"How about a poem?" suggested Lizzie.

"Remember when I tried to write that song about Sally?" asked Derek.

"Oh right, you stole Casey's song and then she wrote another one for you. Scratch that plan. How about a flower and a brief love note?" suggested Lizzie.

"That might work. I'm going to work on that right away", said Derek. "Thanks Liz, goodnight".

"Goodnight Derek", said Lizzie.

_Gee I should have just given him something ridiculous idea that would have never worked. I had to do the right thing, thought Lizzie._

Edwin then came through the door after his meeting with Patty.

"Hey Edwin. How did you're meeting go?" asked Lizzie.

"It went well. We broke up, but she was cool with it. We're still friends", said Edwin. "How has your night gone?"

"Well lets see, I've been helping Derek hook up with Casey. That's been fun", said Lizzie sarcastically.

"Speaking of Derek, we had a nice little chat earlier. He tells me that someone in this room secretly likes me", said Edwin while winking at Lizzie.

"Oh no, Derek and I were talking earlier and he jumped to some very wrong conclusions", said Lizzie. "One was that I had a crush on you. Don't get me wrong, your a cool guy in your own... unique way, but you're just a brother to me".

"Oh that's cool. I guess Derek was wrong as usual. I don't know how that guy has survived college so far", said Edwin who trying to joke despite the fact that he was indeed bummed.

"Yeah sorry about that. Wait a minute, it's my fault that you and Patty broke up isn't it?" asked Lizzie who wasn't sure whether she wanted to hear his answer.

"Sort of, but don't worry about it. We were heading down that road anyway. This whole thing just sped up the inevitable. By the way, why does Derek think you like me?" asked Edwin.

"Well you see... first do you promise not to tell anyone this?" asked Lizzie firmly.

"Yeah of course", reassured Edwin.

"Ok, I was going to tell Derek that I liked him, but I wasn't very clear and he thought I was talking about you. Then he told me about his feelings for Casey and everything went downhill after that", said Lizzie.

"Have you talked to Casey about this?" asked Edwin.

"Well she doesn't know about my supposed feelings for you, but I did tell her I liked Derek. Oh crap, she won't go for Derek because she knows I like him. I don't know if I should be happy or guilty", said Lizzie frantically.

"What did you tell Derek to do?" asked Edwin.

"I told him to write her a short love note and give her an accompanying flower", said Lizzie.

"Oh good. That means that he won't act tonight. We still have time", said Edwin.

"Time for what?" asked Lizzie.

"Time for you to talk to Casey. If you give her a heads-up, maybe she'll let Derek off easy and maybe speak on your behalf", said Edwin.

"But what if I want it to work out between them? You know, I don't want Derek to hook up with Casey necessarily, but I want him to be happy", said Lizzie.

"If that's the case, you could talk to Casey on Derek's behalf. Maybe offer to deliver the note and flower to Casey and explain to her that you want them together", said Edwin.

"Uh this won't be easy either way I go!" exclaimed Lizzie. "By the way Ed, since when have you gotten so insightful".

"I don't know. Time away from Derek I guess will do that", said Edwin. "So what's it going to be?"

"I'm gonna help Derek", said Lizzie weakly.

* * *

It's been a while since I've updated since I've had writer's block on this story (now that this is gone, I have writer's block for The Reunion). The next update for this will be sooner since I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do next. Please review!


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